Health & Medicine : Science World Report

May 14, 2012 10:22 AM EDT

Bio-hybrid Device Acts as 'Thermostat' to Control Systemic Inflammation in Sepsis

A small, external bioreactor holding human cells pumped out an anti-inflammatory protein to prevent organ damage and other complications in a rat with acute inflammation caused by bacterial products in a model of sepsis, according to a report from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School o...

May 14, 2012 09:45 AM EDT

New Study Discovers Powerful Function of Single Protein that Controls Neurotransmission

Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered that the single protein -- alpha 2 delta -- exerts a spigot-like function, controlling the volume of neurotransmitters and other chemicals that flow between the synapses of brain neurons. The study, published online in Nature, shows how bra...

May 14, 2012 09:33 AM EDT

New Twist on Ancient Math Problem Could Improve Medicine, Microelectronics

A hidden facet of a math problem that goes back to Sanskrit scrolls has just been exposed by nanotechnology researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of Connecticut.

May 14, 2012 09:20 AM EDT

Cancer in the Elderly: Research Fails to Keep up with Demographic Change

New research showing that almost half of 13,000 patients with head and neck cancers had other health-related problems at the same time is one of the presentations in a special session at the 31st conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO 31).. The session will highlight...

May 12, 2012 04:12 PM EDT

Birth Defects Linked to Childhood Cancer: Study

A new study suggests children born with a range of birth defects are at an increased risk of developing certain childhood cancers, especially during their first year of life.

May 12, 2012 03:26 PM EDT

Evolution's Gift May Also be at the Root of a Form of Autism

A recently evolved pattern of gene activity in the language and decision-making centers of the human brain is missing in a disorder associated with autism and learning disabilities, a new study by Yale University researchers shows.

May 11, 2012 04:48 PM EDT

Study Shows Benefit of New Maintenance Therapy for Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a form of cancer where the plasma cells in the bone marrow grow out of control, causing damage to bones as well as predisposing patients to anemia, infection and kidney failure. A medical procedure called autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, commonly known as a ste...

May 11, 2012 04:15 PM EDT

Highly Targeted Irradiation as Good as Whole Breast Radiotherapy in Early Stage Cancer

Using a concentrated, highly targeted dose of radiation to the breast has equally good results as irradiating the whole area, with no adverse effects on survival and a much better cosmetic outcome, Hungarian researchers have found. Reporting the ten-year results of a randomised trial, Professor Csab...

May 11, 2012 02:46 PM EDT

Study Raises Guestions about Use of Anti-epilepsy Drugs in Newborns

A brain study in infant rats demonstrates that the anti-epilepsy drug phenobarbital stunts neuronal growth, which could prompt new questions about using the first-line drug to treat epilepsy in human newborns.

May 11, 2012 02:18 PM EDT

A Closer Look at PARP-1 Reveals Potential New Drug Targets

A new study published in Science May 11 is shedding light on the molecular details of PARP-1, a DNA damage-detecting enzyme that when inhibited has been shown to be effective in fighting cancer and other diseases.

May 11, 2012 01:44 PM EDT

Vitamin K2: New Hope for Parkinson's Patients?

Neuroscientist Patrik Verstreken, associated with VIB and KU Leuven, succeeded in undoing the effect of one of the genetic defects that leads to Parkinson's using vitamin K2. His discovery gives hope to Parkinson's patients. This research was done in collaboration with colleagues from Northern Illin...

May 11, 2012 11:10 AM EDT

A*STAR scientists Discover 'Switch' to Boost Anti-viral Response to Fight Infectious Diseases

Singapore scientists from Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) under the Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have for the first time, identified the molecular 'switch' that directly triggers the body's first line of defence against pathogens, more accurately known as the body's "...